The Sense In The Songs
by princessjoey630
Summary: SPOILERS FOR 3x24. Kate wakes up to find she's not alone.


A/N _Detectivejane_ over on Tumblr posted a great scene idea that I just _had_ to use in a fanfic, and this is the result. Thank you so much DJ!

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><p><strong>The Sense In The Songs<strong>

A dull ache radiated through her body, like she'd been sleeping in the same position for much too long. A strange numbness that she'd never felt before.

Slowly, Kate's awareness of her surroundings increased. Her hands were palms-down next to her, on top of a soft fabric…she was in a bed. But it wasn't hers. Her apartment didn't smell of industrial-strength cleaner and the peculiar tang of medications. And it certainly wasn't filled with the soft beeping of machines.

Hospital. She was in a hospital.

She focused all of her energy to opening her eyes. After what felt like hours of trying, she managed to lift her eyelids slightly, just able to peer through her eyelashes at her surroundings.

It was confirmed – she was definitely in a hospital. In bed. With a cannula in her hand and wires travelling between her and the unit next to her.

Kate blinked slowly, feeling as though she might go back to sleep. Denying herself the luxury, she forced her eyes open. At first, everything was cloudy, but furious blinking forced her vision into focus.

Hospitals made her nervous. It was an irrational fear, but she still had it. Hospitals meant something was wrong. She'd only been to hospitals when she'd had her tonsils out and when the Lego got stuck up her nose. Or when someone was injured or dying. Or just plain dead.

She could hear her heart rate monitor pick up speed. She could feel her pulse increasing. She closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened.

"_Our Captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is-"_

_BANG._

"_Kate!"_

"_Where'd that come from?"_

"_Lanie! Get down!"_

"_Beckett's down! Beckett's down!"_

"_Shh…Kate, please…stay with me, Kate…don't leave me, please…stay with me, okay?…Kate, I love you…I love you, Kate…"_

Her eyes flew open and she took a gasping breath. She'd been shot. She looked down and could see the edge of a dressing covering her chest.

Then she noticed something she hadn't seen yet.

Sitting in the corner closest to her bed, in one of the typical hospital-provided-amazingly-uncomfortable chairs, was Castle.

He was fast asleep, oblivious to her now-conscious state. His hair was rumpled all over, as if he'd been running his hands through it over and over. His face looked tired, with dark rings taking their place under his eyes. It worried Kate when she noticed that he was wearing a suit…with blood on it. Her blood. From when he'd tried to save her and held her and begged her not to leave. He hadn't been home since then. He'd stayed with her.

A warm feeling flushed through her chest and stomach, and an involuntary blush appeared on her cheeks. Her heart rate steadied, and she found she wasn't feeling so scared anymore.

Castle's eyes were dancing manically underneath their lids, and then he woke with a start. Kate watched him for a moment as her reorientated himself, shaking away the remnants of his nightmare.

Then he looked at her and saw her green eyes staring right back at him.

She smiled. "So, all the songs make sense, huh?"

In a fraction of a second he was up and against her bed, placing his hands on her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Kate could feel his lips trembling against her skin as he pulled away, using one hand to push her hair back and the other to wipe his eyes. "Kate…" he breathed. "Oh my god, Kate…"

Using all of the energy that she could muster, she raised her hand so she could take his, and held it as tight as she could. He stared at their clasping hands, as if not really believing that they were together. Eventually he was able to drag his gaze back to her eyes to find them swimming with tears.

"It's okay…I've got you…"

"Castle…Rick…" she said. She was surprised that her voice was still as steady as it was.

"Yeah?" He sounded so scared but relieved at the same time. He couldn't stop running his fingers over her cheek, making sure she was absolutely real.

She breathed out slowly – the anaesthesia was still having an effect on her. "I think you should know…"

"What?" Tears were now freely forming in his eyes and he didn't bother to wipe them away.

"…I love you too."

He let out a small shaky laugh as he exhaled. Very much aware of the fact that she'd just had surgery, he leant over her again and pressed his lips to hers, relishing in the feeling of her mouth reacting to his and her hand coming up to rest on his face. She'd been an inch from death in his arms, and now they were kissing in a hospital recovery room.

"Kate?" He pulled away just enough so that he could speak, his forehead resting against hers.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

_For not dying. For waking up. For being there, always._ "For making the songs make sense."


End file.
